PEMA WANGYAL (b. 1945), the first son of Kangyur Rinpoche, is the main resident master of the three-year Nyingmapa retreats in Dordogne, France, director of the Association du Centre d’Etudes de Chanteloube, and founder of the Padmakara Translation Group. Under the guidance of Kyabje Kangyur Rinpoche, Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche, and other great masters of Tibetan Buddhism, Pema Wangyal Rinpoche has studied extensively, his learning confirmed by years of intensive practice. At the request of Dharma groups and institutions around the world, Rinpoche has been active as a teacher since 1975, giving public talks, leading seminars, and providing individual guidance. Since 1980, Rinpoche has personally supervised the traditional three-year retreat of intensive study and practice in Dordogne, France. In 1999, he inaugurated a series of retreats in parallel with the three-year retreat, thus enabling Buddhist practitioners with family responsibilities to engage in serious and sustained practice.
 

"This short work really covers the basics for getting started with Buddhist practice yet at the same time a very helpful reinforcement for those well-steeped in these teachings. On the face of it, this is a commentary of a particular ngondro, but it is really geared to simply connecting people with practice. Part I covers motivation, the basic clearing the air yoga, the four thoughts. Part II covers mantras and tonglen. Part III are the ngondro practices themselves: the reasons and practice of the three-fold refuge, generating the altruistic mind or bodhicitta, the six perfections, purification practice, manadala offerings, guru yoga, the transference of consciousness at the moment of death. While these may send like technical subjects - and this is a traditional presentation - there is a warmth and sweetness to this making it accessible and very inviting to beginners"--